1. Field of the Invention
Our invention relates to a closure mechanism for a storage bag. More specifically, our invention relates to a slider for a fastener assembly that seals and unseals a plastic storage bag.
2. Related Art
Storage bags or pouches made from flexible plastic materials are well known. Such bags can be used to store a variety of items, with one of the most common uses being the storage of perishable food. In order to effectively preserve food, and in order to prevent food or other items from leaking out of a storage bag, the storage bag often includes a sealing mechanism for closing the opening of the bag. One common type of sealing mechanism, which is often referred to as a fastener assembly or a zipper, includes interlocking closure profiles at a top end of a bag, with the interlocking closure profiles being pressed and pulled apart by a slider that is movable across the top end of the bag. Examples of storage bags that include such a sealing mechanism are sold by the assignee of this application under the ZIPLOC® trademark.
The slider of a fastener assembly must be gripped and moved by a user to seal and to unseal a storage bag. As such, it is advantageous for the slider to be easily grippable by the user, which could lead to the idea of making the slider as large as possible. Because a slider extends along the opening of the bag, however, there may be problems with increasing the size of a slider on a given bag. In particular, a larger slider may block more of the opening of the bag than would a smaller slider.